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"Maybe I had a little something to do with making this all possible" - An Oral History Interview with Mayor Robert F. Wagner on the Creation of John Jay College

In this October 5, 1988 interview, Robert F. Wagner, Jr., New York’s mayor from 1954 to 1965, speaks with Professor Jerry Markowitz in preparation for Educating for Justice, a history of John Jay College.

Wagner recounts New York’s early efforts to meet the rising demand for higher education opportunities for the city’s police force throughout the 1950s and 1960s. These efforts proved insufficient and, as Wagner describes, it required the collective action of law enforcement leaders, city officials, and CUNY to ultimately create a dedicated school named the College of Police Science.

Though the interview centers on John Jay College, Wagner also reflects on the founding of CUNY in 1960, its initial vision, funding issues, and his relationship with several college presidents. As Wagner discusses, his commitment to CUNY did not end with his mayorship as he went on to serve on multiple committees created to protect the interests of the city's university.

Source | Lloyd Sealy Library, Special Collections at John Jay College of Criminal Justice,Educating for Justice Oral History ProjectCreator | Markowitz, JerryDate Created | October 5, 1988Interviewers | Markowitz, JerryInterviewees | Wagner, Robert F.Rights | Copyright Lloyd Sealy Library, Special Collections at John Jay College of Criminal Justice, Educating for Justice Oral History ProjectItem Type | Oral History (Tape)Cite This document | Markowitz, Jerry, “"Maybe I had a little something to do with making this all possible" - An Oral History Interview with Mayor Robert F. Wagner on the Creation of John Jay College,” CUNY Digital History Archive, accessed February 17, 2018, http://cdha.cuny.edu/items/show/3522.